


Home is With You

by SpookyRobin



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bottom Keith (Voltron), Established Relationship, Garrison trio, Kidnapping, Kinda, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sex Jokes, Space Daddy, Top Lance (Voltron), Voltron, Work In Progress, first fic, i guess theres a plot, i tried for some fluff, ill get to it i promise, keith is hesitant, klance, mentions of Shatt, rated for possible smut later, some spicy content, there will be smut, voltron legendary defender - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-17
Updated: 2018-08-23
Packaged: 2019-05-08 06:12:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14688135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpookyRobin/pseuds/SpookyRobin
Summary: “Keith!” Lance called, he’d been searching for hours. He had thought that he would’ve been the first person the skittish boy sought out after he’d returned, but it appeared that he had been wrong.





	1. Prologue/Intro

It had been over a year since Keith had been captured by the Galra, and Lance’s breath caught in his throat as he watched the Blade of Marmora land their ship. Keith was on that ship, or so he’d been told. He’d better be on that ship or Lance would throw a fit so magnificent that it would make the ongoing war with the Galra seem trivial.  It had been nearly a year since Keith had been taken, captured by the aliens with whom they were at war. Nearly a year of fighting and searching and loneliness. They had discovered what had happened to Keith early on, finding him had been the hard part.

After Keith had left Voltron and joined up with the Blade of Marmora, they’d had less and less contact with him. Lance had worried about him every time he’d gone off on one mission or another. He had worried that something might happen to the smaller boy, and it turned out that his worry had not been misplaced.

Lance had been the first one Allura told when she had received the message from the Blade.  There had been tears in her eyes when she had told him that several members of the Blade, Keith among them, had been captured.  As soon as she told him, those tears that pooled in the corners of her eyes began to fall. Beautiful streams trickled down her face, the only sign of her grief, if she felt any beyond those two gentle streams, Lance would never know.  

He had grown apathetic towards Allura for a time after that, resenting that all her emotions brought forth were two little rivulettes. He had felt as if she hadn’t grieved enough for Keith, after all, he had cried rivers and oceans, waterfalls cascading from his eyes for hours on end.  Even after he had run out of tears to cry, his eyes were left red, his cheeks stained by the salt left behind after his night spent alone. Lance had spent many nights alone since Keith had joined the Blade, but this was the first night when he felt  _ truly _ alone in a long, long time.

He and Keith had never officially become ‘boyfriends’,  they had just slowly fallen for one another while the rest of the team looked on.  Eventually, Lance had given up his room in favour of Keith’s. This was ostensibly to make room for Matt, but Lance had already been looking for an excuse for a long time.

While Hunk had been the first one Lance told, Pidge had been the first to find out. Hunk was Lance’s best friend, and had been ever since they had first met at the Garrison.  It was important for the yellow paladin to be the first person Lance told, although he couldn’t quite discern why. It just didn’t feel right for anyone else to know about him and Keith before Lances own best friend, which is why it had been disconcerting when Hunk had said that he already knew.  

Apparently, Pidge had been the one to tell him, although he had assured Lance that it had only been speculation.  Lance wasn’t sure how much he believed that, but he still tried to convince himself that he should. After that, he had told Shiro, then Allura, then Coran.  He had made sure that Pidge was the last of the paladins he told. When he did tell her, she smirked and said that she already knew before sauntering off.

It was difficult for Lance to be alone.  He had shared a room with his brother his entire life, and the rest of his siblings were close by.  He had never been alone, except for those first few weeks in the Garrison before he and Hunk had become friends.  For the first time, he had been forced to spend most of a year alone, and it had hurt. 

His nights, once filled with warmth and love, were cold and empty.  He found sleep allusive now that Keith was gone, instead spending his nights weeping softly for the boy that he’d lost.  Lance had spent so much time alone, wishing to have Keith back, so this spaceship, and the boy it may contain, filled Lance with excitement and hope.

The spaceship landed in the bay of the castle, purple lights fading as the engine ceased rubling.  Lance was tense, apprehensive, the prospect of seeing Keith was both exciting and terrifying. The large door to the ship began to open, rising up and revealing those within.  Lance scanned the crowd of aliens and refugees, and saw him. 

Keith was there, as Kolivan said he would be.


	2. I've missed you, dear.

Keith looked down as he was escorted from the ship, passing right by Lance with nothing more than a glance.  Lance longed to reach out and take hold of Keith, to prove to himself that the boy he had missed so dearly was really there.  But he held himself back, after all, Keith probably wanted some time to re adjust to the castle. Lance could spend a little bit longer without Keith in his arms, couldn’t he? He sure hoped that he could.

Lance went back to his room,  _ I guess it’s technically Keith’s room…  _ He thought.  _ I wonder if I’m still allowed to sleep here.. _ He could return to his old room if he wanted, Matt had abandoned it in favour of sleeping with Shiro, but Lance didn’t want to go back to his room unless Keith didn’t want to share his own. So, Lance waited.

He waited for five minutes, then ten, then twenty.  He knew it was odd to expect Keith back so soon, but he didn’t like waiting. After waiting the eternity that spanned thirty minutes, Lance decided to look for the boy somewhere else.  _ The training deck! That’s where he’ll be!  _  Lance now walked a bit faster towards his chosen destination, his body powered with purpose.

He arrived at the training deck breathing slightly heavier than normal, the fast pace he had chosen wasn’t particularly difficult, but maintaining that pace over the distance he’d traveled had been exerting.  He peeked his head around the door, expecting to see a mullet he’d learned to love, and strolled in. The room was empty, no mullet, no Keith, no one.

Lance stood near the doorway, where was that boy? He stayed for a moment longer and let out a huff of indignation before turning on his heel and strolling right back out.  Lance decided to try the kitchen next, hoping that maybe Keith had needed something to eat. It seemed that this time, he was right.

Keith looked up from his plate of goo and saw Lance.  The poor boy practically jumped out of his skin before making some excuse about having to use the bathroom and scampering off.  He rushed past Lance, his shoulder brushing against the blue paladins chest as he went. Lance stood for a moment, startled.

“Trouble in paradise?” Pidge asked with a smirk.

“I don’t know..”, Lance began, looking down at his feet before glancing back up at her. “He hasn’t said a word to me yet.”

“I’m sorry.” Hunk said.  “Want some weird cookie things?” Lance smiled at the offer, but declined, he needed to find Keith and see what was wrong.

Lance didn’t try to find Keith in the bathroom, not only would that be strange, but there were several bathrooms in the castle, and searching every one of them would be a waste of time.  Instead, Lance went to the brig, maybe Keith would be there. He was. Unfortunately, the moment he saw Lance he fled the room, again.  _ What was going on with him? _

After searching several locations with no luck, Lance returned to his- Keith’s- room.  It was there that he waited, he promised himself that he would not leave. After about 13 minutes, he was bored senseless. He pulled out his phone, a semi translucent orange screen, and texted Shiro, asking the man if he’d seen Keith. His phone buzzed a moment later.

Message from Space Daddy

-No, why?

Lance typed back

-He’s been avoiding me, but I need to talk to him..

Lance put his phone down and flopped dramatically on the bed.  His phone buzzed again.

Message from Space Daddy

-Do you want me to find him for you?

Lance considered his options.

-No, it’s okay.

Shiro responded almost instantly

-You sure?

-Yeah..

The conversation ended there.  Lance checked the time, he’d been waiting almost an hour.  He probably couldn’t wait much longer, his patience was already drawn thin.  Luckily, he soon heard soft footsteps that seemed to be coming towards the door.  Lance was sure he knew who it was, only one person in the castle made an effort to walk quietly. And sure enough, the door opened unveiling Keith.

When his eyes fell on Lance, Keith froze. He looked so afraid, Lance almost felt bad for seeking him out all day.

“Keith?” Lance said softly. Keith did not respond. “Please don’t run, I’ve missed you.” Keith swallowed noticeably.

“I’ve missed you too.” Keith’s voice wavered, he sounded on the verge of tears.

“Come here,” Lance requested, sitting up on the bed. “Please come and sit down?” Keith took a step forward and paused, looking at Lance like a deer in headlights. “It’s okay,” Lance tried to sound comforting. “I’ll come to you.” Lance stood up slowly, taking a few steps toward Keith and reaching out to take the boy’s hand. Keith pulled away. Lance quickly drew back his hand, worried that he had frightened Keith.

“I’m sorry..” Keith said, his voice a near whisper.

“Hush, dear. It’s alright.” Lance assured. “Is it alright if I take your hand?” Lance figured that he would ask, he didn't want to scare the boy again, but he longed to touch him again. Keith nodded tentatively, reaching out slowly, deliberately. Lance slowly took the proffered hand, holding the fingers delicately in his own. “Would you like to sit down?” Keith nodded. Lance lead the boy to the bed, allowing him to take a seat before asking the next question. “Do you want me to sit with you? Or would you rather I stay standing?” Lance waited for a response.  Keith opened his mouth, then closed it, as if reconsidering his words.

“Sit with me?” Keith asked, his eyes fearful yet pleading.

“Of course.” Lance responded, carefully seating himself next to Keith. “Can I ask you something else?”

“Yes.” Keith sounded unsure.

“What happened?  Why have you been avoiding me?” Keith seemed even more uncomfortable now that Lance had asked. “You don’t have to if you’re not ready.” Keith squeezed his eyes shut, and once he opened them again, he spoke.

“No, I’m ready.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, here's chapter two. It's a bit longer but i hope you enjoyed it.


	3. What happened to you?

Keith explained what had happened, there were moments when Lance thought the boy might cry, and there were moments when Lance himself almost cried, but they got through it.

Keith and one other had been taken on a mission to secure a Galra base, the other had been executed immediately, she had been a message to the other prisoners, a warning not to fight back.  After that, Keith had been locked away with several other aliens in a prison ship. That had been all for a while, the Galra hadn’t made him fight as they had with Shiro and Matt, they had let him be, feeding him once a day.  Some days, someone in his cell was taken, and they didn’t always return. 

Eventually, Keith was taken.  He was sold, auctioned off to the highest bidder.  He was forced to be a slave to this man, often forced to do unsavoury things.  He was beaten every time he’d raised a finger in resistance. He had been used as a cleaner, a cook and a training dummy for the younger Galra this man had, but his primary use had been entertainment.

Whenever his master demanded, Keith would be thrown in a pit with another, and they were forced to fight. The conditions were up to the master, sometimes it was hand to hand, other times they were allowed swords or daggers, sometimes only one of them got a weapon.  They were never told what would end the fight, so Keith always fought to kill. Sometimes, that was the only thing to end the fight, and sometimes his master called a halt before the first hit. Even so, he rarely ended the fight before Keith was bleeding.

This had gone on nearly a year. A year of beatings, a year of being used, a year of fighting for his life almost every other day.  A year before the Blade of Marmora had come to save him. He had been in the pit fighting when his master had been shot dead. Keith described his rescue to Lance before falling silent.

Keith looked at Lance, the fear was still there in his eyes, and it broke the blue paladin’s heart.

“I’m so sorry.” Lance said, unsure what he could do to help. Keith didn’t respond, he simply sat on the bed, Lance’s hand enveloping his own. “I hate to ask more of you.. but why were you avoiding me?” Keith grimaced. “You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to.” Keith shook his head. 

“It’s okay”, Keith began, taking a deep breath. “It’s just that.. Well..” Keith seemed hesitant, so Lance looked at him reassuringly. “Well, you see.. When new prisoners were thrown into the cell with me.. They often talked about Voltron and her paladins, and when they talked about you.. They talked about how you were the flirty one, always chatting it up with everyone you found attractive, and well.. You see.. I figured that you’d moved on from me” Keith looked concerned.

“Don’t worry, my love.” Lance assured, “I haven’t moved on, I don’t think I could ever move on from you.” This was one of Lance’s rare moments of solemnity, he seemed sincere.

“And well.. I didn’t want you to tell me you’d moved on.. I wasn’t ready to hear it.. I’d spent so long without you, missing you.. The idea of finally coming back to you only for you to have moved on-” It was then that Keith began to cry.  Explaining to Lance what had happened to him and disclosing the horrors of his year as a slave wasn’t enough to bring him to tears, but this was.

Lance wanted to hold the boy so badly. To wrap his arms around him, and reassure him that he could never move on from him and that he would never let him go.  However, he remembered what had happened earlier, when he had reached for Keith’s hand. He didn’t want to frighten the already skittish boy again, and so he held himself back until Keith had stopped sobbing.

“My dear, is it alright if I hold you?” Keith nodded his ascent, and Lance gently wrapped his arms around him.  Keith stiffened at the touch and Lance started to pull his arms away, worrying that he’d upset the boy, but Keith placed a tentative hand on Lances arm, his eyes begging the blue paladin not to let him go.  Lance tightened his arms around Keith, and eventually, he leaned in, placing his head against Lances chest. He was safe at last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one was so short, i plan for the chapters to be longer. Hope you enjoyed!


	4. Running from shadows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith contemplates who he is.

It was difficult for Keith to move back into the palace.  The Blade had made it very clear that they wouldn’t risk his life or freedom again, so Keith didn’t see the point of staying with them if he wouldn’t get to do any real missions. So here he was, back at the Castle of Lions.  This whole place was so familiar, and yet so foreign to him. He had grown accustomed to the purples and blacks of all things Galra related, and he found the Altean blues and whites somewhat discomforting. It made him feel like he stood out, and Keith had been shy before he’d been beaten for almost a year straight.  Any negative emotions he’d harboured then had been magnified at least tenfold during his time as a slave.

Keith wasn’t sure who he was anymore, in the last year and a half, he’d been at least four people. The paladin of Voltron, strong, reliable, brave.  The member of the Blade of Marmora, revolutionary, sneaky, wise. The prisoner, unimportant, ignored, scorned. And finally, the slave, beaten, broken, weak.  Who was he now? No longer paladin, no longer one of the Blade, no longer prisoner, no longer slave. So, who was he? He wasn’t ready to confront this trouble of his quite yet, so he added it to his mental catalog of things to do.

Then there was the matter of Lance.  He had assured Keith that he loved him, but.. Well, Keith was having a hard time trusting people, especially someone he’d heard so many rumours about.  Lance did seem to trust him, however, and had respected Keith and his possible need for space. He had asked Keith several times if it had been okay for him to do certain things, and Keith did appreciate that. It was so odd to see the boy he loved so dearly again after so long surrounded by hatred.

Keith idly wondered if Lance would still love him after he got to know him again.  Keith had changed, grown more shy, more skittish, quicker to hide. He was fearful, weary of confrontation and reluctant to defend himself. 

The former red paladin excused himself from Lance to go speak with Shiro. The man had been like a brother to Keith since his first weeks in the garrison. He found himself tracing the steps he’d last taken a year ago, and feeling… foreboding. Not dread or fear, just the feeling that something bad would happen. 

Shiro answered his door after Keith knocked, allowing the smaller boy to enter. Keith looked around, apprehensive. His former foreboding twisting in his stomach, a knot of discomfort and uncertainty. Shiro seemed more reserved that Lance had, perhaps Keith had made a mistake in coming here. 

“Keith? Are you okay?” Those were not the words that Keith had expected to hear.

“Yes.” Keith responded, eyes cast downward.

“Okay..? You just seem afraid.” Shiro had a heart that matched his biceps in size, even if he didn’t always show it.

“I am.” This time, Keith’s words were a terse whisper.

“I won’t hurt you, you know that, right?” Shiro punctuated his question by stepping towards Keith. A friendly gesture, surely, but Shiro was so much larger than Keith. He towered over the former slave, his stature so similar to the Galra who had abused Keith not so long ago. Shiro took his step towards Keith, and Keith bolted.  

    The hallways of the castle seemed to twist around Keith as he frantically tried to make his way back to his room. Fear had taken hold of his heart, and he heard it pounding in his ears as surely as the others in this castle must’ve heard his feet slapping the floor as he ran. He thundered down the halls, one advantage of being a slave and a gladiator was that Keith had been forced to build muscles quickly, namely the muscles used for running. 

He sprinted, the image of Shiro standing so tall, domineering, chased him down. He turned down another passage.  He knew he shouldn’t be running, he knew he shouldn’t be so afraid, he knew that Shiro wouldn’t hurt him. But some part of him, some primal aspect of himself sensed danger, and Keith had run before he could reason with that aspect. 

He was still moving at a breakneck pace, barreling towards his room.  Sweat dripped from his brow, occasionally stinging his eyes. He hadn’t remembered it being so far from Shiro’s room to his own, perhaps he’d made a wrong turn? No, that was his door just ahead, he quickly turned to his door, counting on it to open before he ran into it, and sprinted into the room, running directly into Lance McClain. Lance had been moving toward the door, likely to figure out the source of the frantic footsteps he must’ve heard.  The momentum Keith carried was nearly enough to take Lance to the ground as he slammed into the blue paladin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this took so long. I had finals. But I'm out of school now so updates should be more regular, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	5. No problem, sugar.

Lance stood to check on what was going on outside his room.  He could hear footsteps thundering down the hallway towards his room.  The person running sounded frantic, and occasionally one of their short drawn, ragged breaths could be heard between their steps.  Those steps were coming so fast as to suggest that the person running was in danger, or at least afraid that they were being chased.  Lance prepared himself to fight whatever the danger might be, and was shocked when just after he had taken his first two steps, Keith himself came barreling through the door.

Keith slammed directly into Lance, the force of his body and the speed of his run nearly toppled Lance, and the taller boy teetered for a moment.  He was quickly able to regain his lost balance. He had expected that Keith would’ve attempted to put some space between himself and Lance, but he did not.  Instead, he clung to Lance with the desperation of someone in a dire situation. The blue paladin figured that the best thing he could do was to stand still.  

Hesitantly, as he didn’t want to frighten the boy further, Lance put his arms around Keith.  He did so gently, merely draping his arms over the dark haired boy’s shoulders. When Keith didn’t flinch, Lance held to him a little tighter, actually holding him instead of using him as something of an arm rest.  Lance could feel Keith trembling in his arms, something had soundly upset him, and while Lance worried about him, he was still ecstatic to have Keith wrapped in an embrace after so long without him. He also felt his shirt growing wet around his shoulders and realized with a shock that Keith was crying.

Lance made what he hoped were soothing and comforting noises, but if they affected Keith, the boy gave no indication.  His silent, trembling weeping had regressed into loud, messy sobs that wracked his whole body. Lance gently stroked the boy’s hair, hoping it would calm him as it had a year before.  Once again, whether this helped Keith to calm down or not, the older boy gave no indication. Lance simply hoped that he was helping and hummed ‘Hips Don’t Lie’ as Keith sobbed in his arms.

Eventually, Keith stopped crying and stepped back from Lance.  Lance was reluctant to let go of the boy, but the blue paladin knew that Keith still needed space.  The former red paladin sat on the bed, face still wet with tears that no longer fell. Lance sat beside him, not so close that they were touching, but close enough to feel that Keith was near.  Sensing that the boy was not yet ready to talk about what had so frightened him, Lance checked his phone and was astonished to see the amount of notifications he had.

Message from Space Daddy

-Is Keith with you?

Message from Space Daddy

-Is he okay?

Message from Space Daddy

-He ran away from me.

Message from Space Daddy

-I think I scared him..

Message from Space Daddy

-Lance?

Message from Space Daddy

-I need to know if he’s okay.

Message from Space Daddy

-Lance, please tell me your with Keith.

Message from Space Daddy

-Lance??

Lance pondered whether or not he should respond, and decided in the negative, Keith needed him right not, not Shiro.  Lance turned off his phone, the orange screen seeming to recede into the two metal pieces on either end of the phone, and set it aside.  He looked over at Keith, who was still shaking, and decided that perhaps he shouldn’t ask what happened right off the bat.

“Keith?” Lance began with a greeting. Keith looked up at him, deep purple eyes brimmed with tears.

“Yes?”

“Are you alright?”   _Dammit_ , wasn’t Lance trying not to bring up what happened?  
“I guess..”

“What happened? Why were you running? Why do you seem so scared?”  _ FUCK _ . That was the opposite of what Lance had been trying to say, what was he doing? Keith took a shaky breath in.   _ Oh no, oh shit, I’ve made him cry again.. _  To his surprise, Keith didn’t cry, instead he spoke.

He told Lance what had happened, how he had left to seek out Shiro, and how the man had frightened him.  How Keith had run in a moment of panic. How he hated that he was so quick to flee. How he knew it was ridiculous to run away. He knew Shiro wouldn’t hurt him. He knew Shiro wasn’t Kalad, the Galra who had enslaved him.  Keith told Lance of the way that Shiro had towered over him when he stepped forward. Keith explained to Lance how terrified he had felt, even though he shouldn’t have felt that way. Eventually, he reached the end of his explanation, and fell silent.

“Keith?” Lance asked again, this time with a totally different question in mind.

“Yeah?”

“Are you hungry?”

“Yeah.”  Keith seemed reluctant to admit this, as if hunger was not something to be expected from humans, and instead a personal fallacy.

“We can go to the kitchen? Hunk is probably there, and if not, he probably left food in the fridge.” 

“Okay.”   Keith seemed hesitant, afraid, even.

“Do you want me to just get something for you, so you don’t have to see or talk to anyone?” Lance suggested this and placed his hand over Keith’s on the bed. The boy did not pull back.

“...yes.” Keith looked down, as if embarrassed at his supposed weakness.

“Alright, love.  What do you want me to get you?”

“Anything, I guess, even food goo would be better than anything I’ve had in the last year.” Keith still seemed ashamed.

“Okay, sweetheart, I’ll be back soon.” Lance considered kissing Keith’s cheek before he left but thought better of it, instead turning to leave the room.

As Lance made his way towards the kitchen, a strange thought entered his mind.  One that was not quite relevant, or even very important, but Lance could not rid himself of it as he walked to the kitchen. _ How long had it been since Keith had showered? _  Lance didn't really care about the hygiene aspect of his boyfriend showering so much as he cared about his comfort.  The castle had excellent water pressure, something that he remembered Keith mentioning once or twice. Lance’s pondering was cut short as he arrived at the kitchen.

True to suspicion, Hunk was there, trying again to make cookies from that strange powder he found.  Pidge was there was well, working on something on her computer. Her and Hunk had been good friends since the garrison, so it was not uncommon for them to be in the same place but doing completely different things.  Hunk looked at Lance, and smiled. The big man had a bigger heart, and he was Lance’s best friend. The two had enrolled in the garrison together, where they had met Pidge, Keith, and Shiro. 

“Do you need something?” Hunk asked before turning to remove his latest batch of maybe-scaultrite-maybe-cookies.

“Other than to see your face?”  The two were often platonically flirtations with one another, it was just the way they spoke to one another. Pidge did that funky laugh where she just exhaled sharply through her nose.

“Awe thanks babe! But yeah.” Hunk replied with a grin.

“I came to get some food for Keith, and you're the king of the kitchen and the ruler of food goo.” After the Goo Incident, Hunk didn’t let anyone but himself and Coran handle the goo tubes, or anything else in the kitchen at that. Pidge looked up at that comment, a smirk on her face.

“Can’t Keith get his own food? Or did you leave him unable to walk again.” She smiled slyly at Hunk, who laughed at the comment before turning to Lance holding a tray that looked like they might be cookies.

“Gimme a sec to get something from the fridge.” Hunk said, putting the tray down on the counter and opening the fridge and pulling out something gooey looking but with… embellishment? No,  _ garnish _ . Garnish was the word Lance was looking for. 

“Thanks Hunk, love you!” Lance said, taking the plate from Hunk as he leaned in to give his friend a sort of one-armed hug. Hunk hugged him back, gently as Lance was holding a glass plate.

“No problem, sugar. Love you too!.” Hunk released Lance from the hug and Lance made his way out of the kitchen, stopping to blow the yellow paladin a kiss before he left. Hunk caught the kiss and winked.

“You two are insufferable.” Pidge muttered from behind her computer.  Lance looked at her and pasted on his most insufferable grin before leaving the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took so long. It's a long(ish) one for me so hopefully you're all satisfied with it?


	6. I'm Sorry I'm Broken

Lance returned to his room only to find that Keith wasn’t there. This, however, wasn’t an issue as Lance could hear water running in the joined bathroom. So Keith was taking a  _ shower _ !  This excited Lance because he had just been wondering how long it had been since Keith had showered.  Assuming that Keith would be a while, Lance settled down on the bed and checked his phone to find even more notifications from Shiro.

Message from Space Daddy

-I know you two are probably busy doing whatever you do when you’re alone together in a bedroom but I really need to know if Keith is okay.

So Shiro also thought they were fucking. Great.

Message from Space Daddy

-I guess I’ll leave you crazy kids to it.. Just let me know when you get back.

Message from Space Daddy

-Oh yeah.. USE PROTECTION!!!!!!!!!

Message from Space Daddy

-Image Attachment: 1

Lance groaned and opened his messages from Shiro to see a photo of him holding a condom in his human hand and forming a thumbs up with the galra one. He was grinning in the photo. Lance chuckled before typing out a response. 

-Don’t worry, dad. I’ve been comforting him.

Shiro was quick to respond

-Oh?? ;)

Lance sighed before confirming that they had not been having sex.

-We were NOT fucking. I touched his hand tho ;););)

Lance quickly sent a second text

-In all seriousness tho you gave him quite the scare.

Shiro responded instantly

-I know.. Do you know what I did wrong?

Lance tried to explain

-I mean, it’s not fully your fault, you don’t really control the fact that you’re really tall, especially compared to Keith.  You can… well, you can loom over people. That reminded him of… something that happened during his captivity.

Lance wasn’t sure if he was allowed to tell anyone about what had happened to Keith, so he decided not to.  Shiro responded

-Oh.. Tell him I’m sorry?

The water turned off in the bathroom, and Lance typed his answer and a farewell

-Idk. I probably will. I’ll get back to you soon, he just came out of the bathroom.

Lance didn’t wait for a response before turning off his phone and setting it on the bedside table. He hastily took the plastic wrap off of the food Hunk had given him and set it beside him on the bed where he sat.  Lance didn’t have to wait long before Keith emerged from the bathroom with a towel around his waist. On any other day Lance would’ve marvelled at Keith’s body, but today something else claimed his thoughts.  _ Those scars.. There are so many of them.. _

Scars covered his boyfriends body, long, short, thick, and thin crisscrossed Keith’s abdomen and arms, and probably the rest of him as well.  Many of them looked like they’d been deep. Keith didn’t seem to notice Lance staring as he sat down and looked at the food.

“You.. uhh.. You didn’t get a fork.” Keith said this barely above a whisper, but it was the loudest Lance had heard him speak since his arrival back home.

“Oh, shit, you’re right. Sorry.” Lance said, looking around for something that he could use as a fork.  He didn’t find anything.

“I can just eat with my fingers, it’s okay.” Keith looked down, and Lance was about to agree that was the easiest option, but noticed how Keith had gone back to his defeated posture, and thought better of it.

“No, don’t worry, I can run and get you a fork really quick.” Keith looked up at Lance, and in doing so, sat up a little taller. With just this tiny change, he looked less a beaten down slave and more a nervous boy.

“Are you sure?” Keith still looked scared, but no longer did he look defeated.

“Yeah, of course.”

“Uhh… okay..” Keith said, still afraid. With that, Lance was up and out of the room.

Lance returned to find that Keith had put pants on, his old jeans from earth, though he hadn’t yet gotten to putting on his shirt so the scars Lance had seen were still visible. He wanted so badly to ask about them, to comfort him, but he didn’t, he couldn’t do that to Keith. Not yet.  He’d ask eventually, but for now he told himself that he’d wait at least until Keith had eaten. He hoped to wait longer than that, but for now that was all he allowed himself to promise. 

Lance gave Keith the fork he had procured in the kitchen and the former paladin dug into his food goo with a vengeance.   The blue paladin sat in silence while the other boy ate, allowing him some peace. Looking at those scars, Lance knew he would probably ask about them after Keith finished his food.  _ Shit _ . Hadn’t he been trying to give the poor boy some peace? But he knew he couldn’t wait, he worried, and that worry would eat away at him if he didnt ask. And so he waited for Keith to finish his food, irrationally hoping that he would never finish so he could continue his life in peace.

Keith finished his meal quicker than Lance expected, and  _ far _ quicker than he had hoped. Lance watched as Keith set the plate and fork gently on the floor, hoping that he would act a little slower.  The blue paladin wished to forestall his inevitable inquiries about the scars that marked his boyfriends skin, but he knew that he could not.  Keith soon sat back up, and Lance took a breath in, and took Keith’s hand. There was a scar running across two of the knuckles on the hand, how had Lance not noticed that? No matter, his act of taking Keith’s hand had drawn his attention, and his eyes were now turned toward Lance.

“That’s a lot of scars, love. Are you alright?” Well, that was as good a way as any to ask about something like that. 

“Yeah, there are a lot..” Keith said, absently tracing his thumb along a particularly bad one, it was long and thick, running from his right collarbone across his chest, hooking under the left nipple and ending under his left arm.

“I’m sorry,” Lance began “I probably shouldn’t have mentioned them, I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay Lance.” Keith took Lance’s hand, the one that was currently holding his own, and placed it on his chest directly over several crossing scars that may once have been stab wounds. Wow. Lance thought, this from the boy who just ran from Shiro because he stepped forwards?  Well, he supposed Keith did probably trust him more than he trusted others, but it was strange to see such a timid boy allow himself to be touched so intimately.

“Are you sure this is okay?” Lance asked as he slowly began to trace the many scars on Keith’s abdomen.  Keith tensed under Lance’s fingers and the blue paladin began to pull away, but Keith stopped him.

“Yeah, it’s okay.” He seemed very uncomfortable, his face contrasting his words. Lance hesitantly continued running his fingers over his boyfriend’s many scars, but did so more gently than before.

“Are you sure? You seem really uncomfortable.. I can stop if you want?” His fingers continued moving across Keith’s skin.

“Uhhh..” Keith seemed even more hesitant than before, and Lance stopped immediately. Lance knew his boyfriend, and he knew even better Keith’s hesitance to say no.

“It’s okay, it’s okay if you’re not ready.” Lance tried to sound reassuring, hoping to rid Keith of his discomfort.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry..” Keith sounded like he was choking on his words, as if he was about to cry.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. Why are you sorry, honey?”  Lance was trying to hard to make Keith feel better, he just didn’t know what to do. _ What do I do? _ Lance thought panickedly,  _ how do I help him? Damn it… I just don’t know what I’m doing.  I should know what to do.. _

“I’m sorry” The poor boy was on the verge of tears now, “I shouldn’t have put your hand on my chest… I thought I was better than this.. I thought I could handle this.. I’m sorry I’m not strong anymore.. I’m sorry I’m broken, I-” Keith’s words ended here as they devolved into sobs, though he didn’t cling to Lance this time as he cried. He cried alone, holding himself for support.  

It cut deep into Lances heart that such a kind boy should hurt so badly.  He was with the boy who loved him most, and he still cried as if there was nobody else in the universe to comfort him. Keith was not a beautiful crier, his face contorted in anguish as he attempted to hold back the sobs that wracked his body.  His tears were not poetic or symbolic, they weren’t delicate streams or raging waterfalls, they were tears and nothing more. Keith wept for the man he he once was and the strength he once had, and Lance found himself weeping for the man Keith was now and the bravery he possessed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is the longest so far, let me know if you prefer the longer chapters? Hoped you enjoyed.


	7. Kiss The Cook

_ Why. Why can’t I do this… _  Keith wondered as he wept. First he couldn’t handle being touched and now he had to cry about it? He’d grown so weak when he should have grown stronger. How the hell was that even possible? Lance seemed so happy when Keith let him touch the scars, and now he was crying. Keith was supposed to please him, make him happy… what would happen to him if he couldn’t? Maybe Lance would beat him, that’s what Kalad had done. A part of Keith tried to argue that Lance was nothing like Kalad, that Lance would never hurt him, but that part was weak against Keith’s fears, so he wept.

Next to him, Lance rose from the bed, and he was forced to fight back against the panic that rose within him.  Contrary to Keiths fears, Lance didn’t beat him, or even scold him for his weakness, instead he walked to the closet.  When it opened, Lance stepped inside and Keith could hear what he mumbled to himself.

“I thought I’d already gotten out of here..” Lance chuckled to himself from within the closet, and Keith couldn’t hold back a smile.  It had been so long since Keith had heard a joke of which he was not the punchline that it was hard not to smile at lackluster closet joke.  Lance soon emerged from the closet with a shirt in his hand and a loud proclamation.

“I am bisexual!” he explained.

“I know?” Keith said, confused as to why.

“I just ‘came out of the closet’. Get it?” The look on Lance’s face, the pride he obviously felt for his joke, was enough to make Keith chuckle.  It had been so long since he’d laughed that even just a chuckle lifted a weight off his shoulders, and for the first time since he’d arrived back at the castle, some of his uncertainty wavered, he felt like he belonged.  Lance tossed the shirt at Keith, and swore at himself.

“What?” Keith asked, after catching the shirt.

“Oh, I threw it but then realized that it would probably spook you.  But, I guess not?”   
“Yeah.. I guess not.” Keith sounded confused.  But he supposed it made a little bit of sense. If he was treated like he was close to breaking, he would feel that way, but maybe… “I think if you just treat me like you used to.. Maybe I can be who I used to?”

“Huh. I guess?” The prospect seemed to confuse Lance, but many things did. “You ate really fast, are you.. Still hungry?” 

“..Yeah..” Keith said ashamedly. He put on the shirt Lance had thrown, it was one of Lance’s shirts.

“Alright, let’s go to the kitchen, I bet Pidge and Hunk are still there.” Lance said, taking Keith’s hand, encouraging him to rise.

“Okay.” Keith stood, and in a move of brashness that shocked even himself, kissed Lance on the cheek. Lance’s free hand rose to his cheek and he blushed.

“Oh! I did not expect that.” He seemed happier for it, however. He let out a sheepish grin, and hauled himself to his feet. 

Keith tried his best to keep up the appearance of confidence as he lead the way to the kitchen, retracing his steps from so long ago.  Inside, he wavered; what if he couldn’t go back to being the Keith he’d been before his captivity, the Keith that Lance and the rest of the team had loved?  He’d been beaten and broken so many times.. What if he couldn’t be put back together? His pace had slowed during his introspection and he was now walking just behind Lance, and he must’ve noticed that something was wrong because he smiled reassuringly. 

“You okay?” He asked, reaching back and taking Keith’s hand. His thumb brushed a thin scar that crossed Keith’s knuckles and the red paladin almost pulled back, but he held steady.

“Yeah..” Keith lied. The look Lance gave him implied that his lie had not been a convincing one. Fortunately for Keith, the kitchen was just ahead so there wouldn’t be enough time for him to be scolded.  The two boys walked through the doorway and found Pidge sitting at the bar working intently on her computer and Hunk was leaning over her shoulder, he was obviously helping her out with some problem. He was still wearing his “Kiss The Cook” apron and was holding his oven mitts in one hand. He looked up as he heard them enter.

“Hey guys!” He flashed a quick smile before continuing. “Do you need anything?”

“Hey gorgeous!” Lance replied enthusiastically. “And yeah, Keith needs some more food.” Pidge looked up at this, seeing the two of them and smirking. “So you can walk!”

“What?” Keith asked, a look of bafflement crossing his face.

“The first time I came in here, she joked that you weren’t here yourself because you couldn’t walk.” Lance explained helpfully.

“Why wouldn’t I be able to- Oh.” Keith began before realizing the implications of the comment. He then let out a slight chuckle before insisting, “That was one time!” Pidge only shrugged in response.

“Calm down kids,” Hunk joked before continuing “The plate I gave you before was the last ready meal I had, but I can totally whip something up real quick.”

“Hunk, you really don’t have to, just some food goo would be fine.” Keith said, hoping to save the yellow paladin some effort. Lance looked at Keith with a raised eyebrow, and immediately after, Hunk began his objection.

“No, dude. You just came back from your….” He trailed off, looking at Keith expectantly.

“Captivity.” Keith supplied helpfully.

“Right, yeah. You just got back and I am not just going to give you food goo, what kind of friend would do that?  Just sit down and I’ll get you something in no time.” Keith knew better than to argue with Hunk, especially about food. He was the master chef and he would not have his decisions overruled.

As Keith moved to take a seat one over from Pidge, Lance waltzed over to Hunk and kissed him on the cheek before saying “Thanks, hon!” He then turned and sauntered over and plopped down next to Keith. 

Keith immediately thought back to all of the rumors he’d heard about Lance and how he’d moved on. But no. Lance and Hunk had always acted that was before Keith left, so why would they act any different now? _But what if…_ _NO_. Keith shoved those thoughts back into the furthest corner of his mind, the corner where he kept his fears and his uneasy and anxiety.  He’d told Lance that he would be okay, so he would just have to pretend until he either broke, or became okay.

“What was that about?” Keith asked, looking at Lance and raising an eyebrow.

“I was just following instructions.” Lance explained, pointing to the “Kiss The Cook” apron Hunk wore.   
“Ah,” Keith remarked. “Where did you get that anyways?”

“Space Mall,” Lance explained. “We had to go there to get new warflers for the conjectivety beracterum. Hunk saw that apron in the Earth shop and who were we to deny him.”

“Ah, I see.” Keith said.  Their conversation lapsed and the only noise left was that of Hunk chopping something that resembled a leek.  The silence did not last long.

“Yes!” Pidge exclaimed celebratorily. Hunk looked up.

“It worked?” He looked excited.

“You know it!” Pidge’s excitement matched and possibly exceeded Hunk’s.

“Okay, I’ll bite,” Lance sighed. “What were you two working on?”

“The castle doesn’t really go that fast unless we’re wormholing.” Pidge began.

“So we’ve been trying to find a way to boost the castles speed without taking power from the rest of the castle.” Hunk finished, placing two plates on the counter with a flourish. Lance raised an eyebrow at the second plate. “I know you haven’t eaten yet and I will not let you pass through my kitchen and only have a deep breath to eat.”

Some part of Keith almost scolded Lance, but the idea was immediately crushed by his hard earned instincts from his time as a slave.  Lance and Hunk both looked to Keith, as if expecting him to say something, this unnerved him and he found himself glancing to his sides. It was then that he noticed Pidge staring over her laptop at him.  All of these eyes on him… he felt himself fall back into the man, no, frightened boy Kalad had made of him. All of this attention was making him itch, he needed to flee, to hide. 

Lance must have noticed Keith’s discomfort because he placed what Keith assumed was supposed to be a comforting hand on his leg.  Keith almost jumped out of his skin with fright. His mind screamed for him to run.  _ No _ . Keith thought again. _ I told him I would be okay. _ He shoved all of his terror into that secret corner, and pointedly ignored the fact that he couldn’t keep it all back there forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im so sorry this took so long, I hope you guys like it, I'll try to get the next chapter up in a timely fashion but with the start of school on the horizon.. well, who knows.

**Author's Note:**

> this is a work in progress and im doing my best here. this is my first fic but i hope you enjoy. the chapters will most likely get longer, this was mostly meant as an intro type thing. please let me know what you think?


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